A simple cut, if deep enough, in the human skin may result in a trip to the emergency room to have the wound stitched back together. This is commonly done through the use of sutures and a needle to close the wound such that the skin on one side of the wound is now in contact with the skin on the opposite side of the wound. The process of closing the wound accelerates the healing process, allows the tissue to knit back together, minimizes the likelihood of infection and reduces scaring. The downside in the process of closing the wound by “stitching” or “suturing” is that it requires a degree of skill, typically only found in medical professionals. If a medical professional is not readily available, the option to suture the wound closed is likely not available, as few people without this medical training would be competent or able to perform the task, even at a minimal level.
A second limitation to the process of suturing a wound closed is physiological and at the same time philosophical. The physiological aspect relates to the pain that would be experienced by the wounded person each time the needle is inserted into the skin surrounding the open wound, as is necessary to pass the suture material through the skin. A medical professional may have access to a local anesthetic or other numbing agent used to block the pain signals that would normally be present with every stick of the needle. If a medical professional, or the anesthetic are not available, the pain associated with each poke of the needle may be very unpleasant, to the point of intolerable to many people. From a philosophical standpoint, is seems counter intuitive to create a series of holes in a wound for the sole purpose of closing the “hole” in the skin, which is in fact the wound.